And of course, I've also regularly met a lot of amazing people who are interested in securing their future and investing for their dreams. So, congratulations to all who have opened their own mutual fund accounts and VULs!

Now that I'm a bit available, I've decided to start posting. So, let's go!---------As mentioned, once I arrived at Narita Airport, I had to take the Narita Express and go to my chosen cheap hotel in Tokyo, Smile Hotel Asagaya. From here, I met up with my aunt and we immediately headed to Shinjuku! Our first order of business? The ever-famous and free viewing deck at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, of course.

The walk from the Shinjuku train station up to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was not relaxing, mind you. I was wearing heels and I haven't had a rest yet, but who cares? I was in Tokyo! There was no time to rest or complain, so off we went!

The view from the building was spectacular. Seriously. Tokyo at night seems better than Tokyo at day, in my opinion. Remember that scene in Lion King where Mufasa was telling Simba "Everything the light touches is our kingdom, Simba"?

The sparkling buildings, the moving cars and the ambiance made me feel like an empress who owned everything!

When I was planning for Tokyo, I told myself that because I'd be there for such a short time only, I had to make the most of everything. My aunt laughed at me when I showed her my itinerary for Shinjuku because I thought that everything will be near to each other, when it really was far away from each other.

After downing a bottled water and resting for three minutes (I counted), my feet were ready to call it a night; but my mind and my stomach had something else in mind - ramen. When we were roaming around Shinjuku, I saw Shinkoyo Ramen (新高揚 ラーメン) and immediately wanted to try it out.

Why? For you to reach Shinkoyo, you had to go downstairs! Exciting.

I loved its interiors. Homey and relaxing, unlike the ramen places here in Manila where you had to dress up and apply make up to go to, ramen places in Tokyo are mom-and-pop stores where taste is valued above everything else.

It also didn't hurt to know that the price wasn't that hefty. :)

Just look at this shocking Chashumen! I had to place my phone in the picture so that you could fully appreciate the bowl's size. It was sugoi! I am not proud to say that I devoured this in less than 20 minutes... (I only had airplane food in the morning and nothing for lunch, okay?)

This Tsukemen is what my aunt had. To be honest, I liked the Chashumen more, maybe because I didn't like to dip my noodles every single time?

This gyoza is among the best that I've ever tasted in my entire life. The sauce was remarkable. I wanted to sip it, too, but of course I couldn't.

Now, you thought after eating, I'd go back to the hotel, right?

Wrong! The night was still young, so we continued to explore Shinjuku at night.

I was pleasantly surprised with the fact that the Japanese have their own pathway for the visually impaired. See this?

This is the area where visually impaired people can place their walking stick so they can be guided accordingly. Awesome, right? I was floored (get it?) by this magnificent creation that I even took a picture of it. (Even though I felt like my tita was embarrassed to be seen with me. I mean, who takes pictures of the ground?!)

While exploring Japan, don't wear wedges, no matter how comfortable they same seem at first. I learned my lesson the hard way and bought 120 yen slippers from a shop near Don Quijote. DonKi in Shinjuku was extremely crowded, so we only managed to buy a drink before going somewhere else.

My aunt and I took our time in roaming around the place. We even went to this shady part of the town which had love hotels and host bars... (Gintama, anyone?) I didn't take a picture because I was scared someone would shout at me. I didn't want to accidentally offend anyone!

If you've been in Tokyo for a long time, you're bound to miss Manila, aren't you?

If that's the case, you're welcome to drop by this Filipino-friendly establishment, Ihawan.

I looked good with my newly bought slippers ;)

When I went here with my aunt, I ordered hot tea because it was on the menu.

But then the server said, "Tea? We don't have tea here..."

And my tita told her friend, "Then why is it on the menu?"

To which her friend responded, "Yes, it's there on the menu, but seriously, who orders tea at a bar?"

Which is why I ended up with tomato juice instead.

Because we were both exhausted, we rested here for a bit before going back to the train station. There were a lot of Filipinos around and so for a while, it felt like I was back in Manila.

The songs in the karaoke were all in Japanese, though. :)

I was able to get back at the hotel at around 11 pm Japan time, so it was 12 midnight in Philippine time. A new record, if I may say so myself!

We can even meet personally for a FREE financial planning session! Let me know so we can finalize a schedule that works. No obligation to do anything - except share what you learned with your friends! :)

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I am Lianne Laroya, RFP, a multi-awarded Financial Advisor of Sun Life Financial. I'm authorized by the Insurance Commission to act as Insurance Agent and by the Securities and Exchange Commission to act as Investment Solicitor.